Communications Minister Sharma calls for online media to be credible, impartial

Kathmandu, March 13: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma has called for online media to disseminate fact-based, credible and impartial news. The media should prioritise such contents that create positive impacts in human lives and the society, she said while inaugurating a digital news portal, ‘Nari Nepal Online Magazine’ amid a function here today.

Referring to the rapid development of digital media and various criticisms on the contents they disseminate, the Communications and Information Technology Minister stressed the need for running them in a well-managed and transparent way. Saying that it is a wrong practice to put all media in the same basket in terms of their performance, she called for regulating and promoting them by making related laws. “The state should focus on how online media is being developed lately.

The process to make related laws is ongoing,” she said. Homework was underway to make appropriate policies and programmes linking the Communication Ministry and mass communications with women, she said. Minister Sharma also expressed the hope that the government’s policies and programmes, and budget for the next fiscal year, 2023/24 would prioritise women’s issues. Stressing the need for policy reforms for the development of information technology, its expansion and women’s participation, she assured of taking initiatives in making the mass communication act women- friendly.